As 2014 comes to an end, we’re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next. This next installment in our 4th annual Beer In Review features Bess Dougherty, a brewer at Wynkoop Brewing Co., the state’s oldest brewpub. Dougherty had quite the moment when she unexpectedly found herself talking beer with the president of the United States, who shot pool and drank beer with Governor John Hickenlooper in July at the historic LoDo watering hole while in town for a fundraiser. On to Bess’s bipartisan picks …

Favorite beer of the year: Oh man, trying to pick just one favorite is damn near impossible. I have about three beers that I am compelled to get every time I see them. The first is Speedway Stout from AleSmith out of Cali. I had tried this beer on several SoCal trips but now that it is distributed to Colorado I’m going through at least a bottle a week. So damn tasty! My other go-to beers are the newish Rudie session IPA from Ska Brewing and Mongo IPA from Port Brewing, which Falling Rock has on tap fairly regularly.

Back in June at one of our craft beer chats and tastings at the Wynkoop, Branden Miller of Black Shirt Brewing shared the brewery’s plans to add brewing equipment and expand. That moment has arrived. The RiNo red ale specialists are getting ready to start using a freshly delivered 15-barrel brewhouse and six 30-barrel fermenters, upgrading from their original 4-barrel system. Also hiding in the back: a canning line from Boulder-based Wild Goose Canning. That’s right, Black Shirt beer is coming to cans. Co-owner Chad Miller said to expect red ale, red IPA, red porter and red saison to hit liquor stores in early or mid December.

This is the third installment in a series of previews of breweries pouring at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, which opens Thursday. We’ve invited beer writers from across the country to recommend breweries from their respective regions and single out a few breweries from anywhere they’re eager to check out. Next up, covering the Mid-Atlantic, is Daniel Fromson, a copy editor for the website of The New Yorker, a regular beer columnist for The Washington Post, and the author of the new e-book “Finding Shakespeare,” the true story of one man’s obsessive search for the mythical British accent spoken by the playwright himself. Here are Dan’s picks for GABF 2013:

Our new iPad app serves as a guide to metro Denver’s bountiful breweries, beer bars and bottle shops, the holy trinity of craft beer enjoyment for followers and fans. Download the app for iPad .
Next time you head for a beer in Boulder, don’t forget your friend, Beers of Boulder and Boulder County, an iPad app from the Daily Camera. Download the app for iPad .

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!